A Criss Cross Love Affair
by Ookami Sempai
Summary: Sasuke has left the village, is it an omen? Ino and Sakura are heartbroken by his actions as new events unfold. (Under revision before chapter 4 release, maye be rated R later on)
1. A Sunny Afternoon

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters mentioned in this piece unless mentioned otherwise. The events of the actual story are mine however and I will not tolerate anyone stealing the plot and or original characters added to it without expressed permission.

Author Notes: Alright, I'm back after along break from writing, but I'm here to stay, at least until I finish this piece. Here are some little tid-bits you should consider before reading:

1. This story starts the afternoon following Sasuke's departure from the Hidden Leaf Village around chapter 180 or so in the manga.

2. Though nothing seriously violent or sex related happens in this chapter, be forewarned that anything can happen after this, so if you are 12 or under you really should not be reading.

3. Read once to get the general idea of the story/chapter and then read again before reviewing.

4 Please give worthwhile and constructive reviews

5. Enjoy… or else.

****

A Criss-Cross Love Affair 

Characters and Original Concept by: Masashi Kishimoto

****

Story Written By: Joseph Ross

****

Chapter 1: One Sunny Afternoon…

The air within the flower shop was filled with the scent of freshly clipped flowers as the bell above the glass door entrance jingled. The sound made a certain blonde haired girl turn in the direction of the door with a soft smile. Putting down the beautiful arrangement of red and white flowers for a moment, the young woman brushed a loose strand of her shimmering silky hair free from her cool bluish-green eyes. With a small bow of her head, the customer who had just entered only seconds before began to recite her request of the young woman. The young woman listened intently, her bright smile never fading as she offered the occasional nod and various suggestions when the customer was indecisive about an aspect of the arrangement of flowers that was already beginning to form in the young woman's mind. With a small phrase of thanks and another bow from the young woman, the customer headed back out the doors in which she had come, the jingling of the bell following. Just as fast as she had put down the task at hand when the bell had first sounded, the young woman went back to her work, now burdened with yet another task.

As the nimble cream toned digits of the young woman worked their way across the stem of a lone red rose a soft sigh passed her pink lips, the smile fading only to be replaced with a frown. The eyes of the girl stared into the rose, the flower that not only was beautiful and pure, but also represented an abstract idea known only as love. While she could hide the feelings tugging at her heart during a customers brief visit, there was no way she could suppress the emotional whirlpool twisting and thrashing about within her. True, a rose was of beauty and of love, but it also had thorns. Subconsciously, the girl's thumb ran over one of the green stems many sharp spines.

"Ino…" A soft voice echoed from behind the young woman.

"M-mother?" Ino, the blonde haired sylph had jumped slightly when her name caressed her ears in the voice that was very familiar. Without even noticing a single drop of blood was freed from the confines of Ino's tissue from the very thorn she had been thumbing gently before her mother had voiced Ino's name. 

"Oh my… I'm sorry dear." Ino's mother frowned slightly when she noticed the small cut upon Ino's hand. "I shouldn't have surprised you like that." As her mother reached for her hand, Ino jerked it away slightly. 

"It's fine really, no need for you to worry…" Ino was cut short.

"That cut is not what I worry about, Ino, but what is on your mind." Ino was about to interrupt, she was planning to try and somehow convince her mother otherwise, but was not allowed the chance as her mother's words once again filled the still air. "I know something is wrong and it is not place to question you or force the truth out of you, but at least take the rest of the day off and try to clear you thoughts a bit." Ino's mother rested a hand upon Ino's shoulder. "I've been watching you from time to time all morning and while you may seem nice enough when someone comes in, you just go back to moping over that bouquet you have been working on for nearly five hours." Ino raised her head and parted her lips as if about to speak, but turned her eyes to the floor with a soft sigh. "Now you go for a walk or go spend some time with your friends, filling in for you won't be too much trouble." Ino's mother lifted her hand off of Ino's shoulder and moved behind the counter.

Ino managed a small smile to her mother before taking off the white apron that had adorned the front of her torso from early morning until that very moment. She remained silent and made eye contact with her mother only once as she handed her the apron. Ino was already out the door by the time her mother had given her goodbye with a concerned look. 

__

I hope she will be alright, she thought to herself before continuing to work on the bouquet Ino had left unfinished. 

The air outside was thick and filled with the smell of people and other various aromas twisted and mixed together to create a reeking miasma to a sensitive nose. Ino, accustomed to the sweet and cool air within the flower shop owned by her parents was almost overcome by the various scents that assaulted her nose. She showed little signs of her general disapproval of the air she slowly took in through her nose other than a small grimace that adorned her otherwise very beautiful visage. As Ino traveled away from the flower shop the grimace faded as her nose grew accustomed to the air, but her destination was unclear, _I don't want to go home and I don't want to stay in town, not right now…_. Ino no sooner gave that singular thought heed than she decided on a destination. The forest.

The shade, sounds, and scent of the forest were much more appealing to Ino's senses and allowed her to relax to a much greater extent than if she had remained inside the walls of Konoha. Finding a large tree, Ino placed herself at the base, sliding her back down the bark until her body was resting on the ground, her back against the tree. The rays of light that managed through the tree's leafs created patterns of light and dark over Ino's body. Ino was dressed in her usual fashion, a violet top that covered only her upper torso and a matching skirt that hardly came midway down her thigh and also bore long slits up either side and also long white cloth sleeves that started a short way down from her shoulder and ended nearly midway down her forearm. The way she dressed would have hardly been appropriate for a girl of any age if it were not for the gauze wrap that covered her body from the top of her shoulders down to slightly below where the skirt ended. 

Ino eyes focused on the branches above her and was now free to explore her thoughts, which were focused on primarily one person, Sasuke. _Why did he leave like that? He didn't even tell anyone, not even me! _The feelings burning within Ino were not only of anger, but of sadness and even of jealousy of how Sakura had been the last one to see him before his departure. _Maybe if I were a better person and not so mean to Sakura he would notice me? Maybe if I were as strong as I talk myself up to being…. _Ino's cheeks began to ripen with a soft hue of red as blood was drawn to the surface, tears beginning to swell in her eyes. _Why can't he even see me!? Why!? No matter what I do, he never even gives me a second glance…_ . Using her arms, Ino pulled her knees to her chest in where she buried her face as the tears that had been swelling inside of her all day finally came to the surface and flowed freely from her grief stricken blue eyes. 

There, beneath that tree, Ino cried for what seemed like an eternity. All the bottled up emotions that she had been carrying around were finally coming out, but something, even in the state she was in, caught her attention. She raised her head, giving full view of the trails of tears rolling down her face. The sound of wood snapping just barely touched Ino's ears. There was someone else out in the forest other than herself. Standing up and wiping her face with the sleeve covering a majority of her arm. Swallowing once and closing her eyes momentarily she gathered her emotions and tried to force her mind off Sasuke as she trekked off in the direction of the suspicious noise. 

"Byakugan!" A soft voice managed out in a barely audible tone.

A girl with short black hair faced a large tree stump, her body in the fighting stance native only to the Hyuuga Clan's "Gentle Fist" style TaiJutsu. As the single word departed her throat and passed her lips the veins surrounding her pure white eyes bulged out. She breathed heavily and her hands looked raw, the stump before her looked to have lost all of its' bark and had various indents and cracks throughout. Soon the reason was apparent for the appearance of both the girls hands and the stump. 

"Haiiii!" The open palm of the girls hand slammed with full force against the bare wood of the stump, a gentle blue glow accompanying each powerful strike into the wood. Splinters of wood were freed into the air with the second strike and a following third and forth. The palm strikes were rapid and the girl providing them showed no signs of stopping as her breath continued to increase in its' depth and frequency.

From behind a bush Ino watched the girl, her eyes wide. _Hinata has improved this much since the exams? _ She questioned silently, her eyes paying ever more attention to the details of each strike and of Hinata's form. It was still amazing to her that anyone would could do what Hinata and the Hyuuga Clan members could do. Not only was the Byakugan an amazing bloodline skill, but their TaiJutsu was fascinating. Forcing ones own chakra into someone else's body with a simple touch or strike seemed like something that would require skills far above Ino's level of chakra control and stamina. 

"Ugh…" Hinata's blows to the stump ceases as the warn out girl fell to her knees coughing as one of her hands grasped at her chest, her fingers tugging at the cream colored coat with fur along the collar and cuffs that was worn over her entire torso. Hinata remained on her knees, panting heavily for only a few moments, forcing herself back to her feet and into her fighting stance, but only found herself standing there and hardly able to move. Hinata muttered something beneath her breath, her eyes looking towards the ground with a saddened appearance held within them. 

"She is going to train herself to death if she keeps this up." Ino whispered under her breath. Indeed, Hinata had gained Ino's respect for determination, but there was a limit to everything. Standing up from her hiding place behind a bush outside the small clearing, Ino slowly made her way in the other girls direction. "Hey there, Hinata-san." Ino had mustered a small smile, one of her hands resting on her hip once she stopped. "You should take a break," Ino winked, "even strong ninjas like _me_ take a break every now in then." 

Hinata's white eyes turned towards Ino, her pale cheeks reddening like a tomato. "I-I-Ino-san.." The slight surprise in her soft voice was evident even from the distance Ino had remained away from Hinata. "I-I didn't know anyone was watching…" her words trailed off. As her cheek remained flushed. Hinata moved her hands up in front of her, each of her index fingers extending and tapping against one another nervously.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-san." Ino replied with a dismissive wave. 

Hinata was a very shy and quite girl, hardly anyone knew much about her other than she was the eldest daughter of the current head of the Hyuuga Clan, the greatest of the ninja clans of Kohona. Ino had never even heard Hinata speak during their years together in the ninja academy besides on a few extremely rare occasions were the instructor would call on her to answer a question. From what Ino could tell, Hinata lacked self-esteem and seemed to be depressed all the time besides in a few cases where Ino remembered her smiling, but those were almost as rare as the words from her mouth and only seemed to be when the airhead Naruto was around. There was something about him that lifted most peoples spirits, but it seemed awkward, if nothing else, that when Naruto was about Hinata seemed about the only time she actually smiled.

"Ino-s-san, what b-brings you out here?" Hinata managed to stutter out, her words soft and her eyes on her index fingers that continued to tap against one another. 

"My mother gave me the afternoon off, so I thought I would come out here for a walk." Ino tilted her head some. "How long have you been out here?" The question could not help but be asked, especially seeing how beaten up the stump was and Hinata's apparent weariness. 

Hinata's fingers began to tap against one another a bit faster than before. "Since early this morning…" The white eyed gaze of the girl still failed to free itself from the repetitive tapping of her own index fingers. It seemed as if she were becoming more nervous with ever word that left Ino's mouth.

"Oh?" Ino's smile had weakened some. From the way Hinata was acting, Ino felt almost as if she were somehow scaring the girl in some way by her actions and words. Trying to sound a bit more upbeat than previous, Ino once again spoke. "Have you eaten anything since you came? I wouldn't mind taking you to eat somewhere in town for lunch." 

Hinata shook her head, "N-n-no thank you, Ino-san." Hinata's words were fast and almost sounded as if they were one. Her cheeks brightened once again. "S-sorry for being rude Ino-san, I need to train some more…" Hinata's voice once again faded from Ino's ears, but the shy girls lips continued to move as if continuing the sentence under her breath.

Ino's hands balled into a fist as Hinata continued to talk only to end up muttering once more. Ino's left eye twitched slightly, her face reddening. "Come on!" She shouted. Hinata may have been shy and quiet, but her behavior was beginning to wear away at Ino's nerves. Never once had Hinata looked up from her hands as she spoke and no matter what Ino said the girl seemed to be mortified of it. "If you want to train, that's fine! But once you start starving yourself just to work to death and can't even look into the eyes of a person that is speaking with you, that is simply stupid! You have more sense than that…" Ino's face was still beat red even after her shouting. "If you really want to train, fight me. If I win you have to quit this nonsense for today and go get something to eat and go home to rest." 

Hinata had finally looked up from her hands, her eyes wide. She was utterly shocked by Ino's outburst and after recovering slightly, her eyes once more fell to the ground. "S-sorry…" Hinata muttered her apology just loud enough for Ino to hear.

"Sorry? For what?" Ino yelled before stomping her foot. "Just fight me, I know I will win and then maybe I can talk some sense into you once you have some food in your stomach." Ino waited for Hinata to get into her fighting stance.

"B-b-but…" Hinata was still looking down at her fingers, still taping against one another. 

"That is it…" Ino grumbled before pulling her fist back and charging forward. "If you won't defend yourself this should be finished quickly!"

End Notes: Revised and now a little better, I hope all of you like it and continue to read on into the story as I post the chapters. Thanks.


	2. A Pointless Scuffle

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters mentioned in this piece unless mentioned otherwise. The events of the actual story are mine however and I will not tolerate anyone stealing the plot and or original characters added to it without expressed permission.

  


Author Notes: Revising… It's soo fun. I basically just added an intro paragraph and a small flash back, while removing the Lee and Sakura part. I think it's a bit better now… hope ya enjoy.

  
  


A Criss-Cross Love Affair 

Characters and Original Concept by: Masashi Kishimoto

Story Written By: Joseph Ross

  


Chapter 2: Pointless Scuffle

  
  


The Hidden Village, Konoha, was far from a peaceful place with the various events happening in it's more recent history. From an invasion of both the Sand and Sound ninja to the disappearance of one of the last Uchiha clan members: Sasuke, things were far from what they should have been. At the gates of the great wall surrounding the village, a small group of young shinobi prepared themselves for a dangerous mission, while offering their farewells to the two peers that had come to see them off. Retrieving Sasuke from the clutches of the Sound ninja, but that was not the only activity taking place outside the confines of the massive village. Two girls, both genin level shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, Kohona, were about to engage in combat.

  


"Here I come!" Ino charged towards Hinata at full speed, pulling her balled up fist back only to thrust it forward as her sandal clad feet dug into the ground to stop her advance. The fist flew forward with the momentum gained from the short sprint straight for the white eyes that had looked up from the ground only to go wide at the sight. A small smirk emerged on Ino's visage, but it suddenly faded as in a split second her fist was knocked away with a swift blow. The soft blue eyes that adorned Ino's face followed her arm as it was repelled easily and returned to find the white eyes that had once been so shocked and fearful were now like cold steel.

  


"H-Hinata?" It was Ino's turn to be surprised as Hinata leaped back from her position and fell into the Gentle Fist style attack stance. With her palm forward and the other inverted at her waist Hinata seemed prepared for anything Ino could throw at her, but remained silent. It took Ino a moment to recover, but the cocky smirk soon returned. "I guess it will just take me a little longer to beat you now…" 

  


Ino brought her right hand up in front of her, the left staying about level to her upper chest, her stance relaxed some, but not for very long as she began another charge towards Hinata once more. Ino's charge was much less sloppy than her first, her hands remained in their designated position, ready for a quick offensive stab or a defense block. Hinata in all respects was a far better fighter on nearly all levels compared to Ino and the fear that Ino believed would give her the upper hand had faded. Ino still held the advantage of stamina over the other girl who was still panting heavily from the training that she had partaken in all that morning. _She can't beat me, not like this. _Ino thought to herself as her right hand thrust forward towards Hinata's left shoulder. The strike only grazed the shoulder it was designated to hit, forcefully sliding over the padding provided by Hinata's coat. The black haired girl had moved at the last moment, allowing her to avoid the blow and launch her oven attack at the open area of Ino's side, which had become exposed during the high strike. Hinata's left palm moved towards Ino's exposed rib cage, lacking the glow of chakra associated with the Gentle Fist style to prevent mortally wounding Ino. Though Ino had noticed the oncoming attack, she could not avoid it fully and while it did not strike her head on, Hinata's palm had managed to have enough force to where the attack that cut across Ino's side caused a sharp pain to run through her. A smile crossed Hinata's lips.

  


"Damn…!" Ino leaped back just in time to avoid the right palm she had not noticed from striking her in the neck. It seemed she had underestimated Hinata a lot more than she thought. 

  


Hinata remained in her stance watching Ino closely, waiting for another attack. The smile that had touched her lips after the semi-successful attack came to naught as the girl's mind came back into focus. _If I lose to Ino… I… my training would be wasted. I know I can do it! Naruto-kun would support me if he were here… he knows I can do this!_ Hinata took the offensive now, her mind focused only on beating Ino with a hope deep down that Naruto would come recognize Hinata for her abilities and for her personality and feelings for him one day. 

  
  


The memories came back to Hinata...

  
  


_"People cannot change..." Neji said with a firm strong voice. Neji, a member of the Branch House of the Hyuuga clan stood before Hinata, his eyes narrowed and the veins were pulsing along his eyes from the Byakugan. Hinata, a member of the Main House of the Hyuuga clan, stood in complete fear of her opponent. The thoughts of her swift and painful oncoming defeat caused her to shiver in fear. Her eyes were wide and beginning to swell with fearful tears as Neji's voice continued to echoed throughout her very being, reflecting her deepest fears and bringing to rise uncertainties about her skills as a ninja and even as a person. She brought a finger to her lip nervously, Neji was reading her mind, actions. and emotions aloud. He could tell what she was feeling._

  


_"You touching your lip is an action to show that your mind is disturbed. It's a defensive instinct that tries to lower your nervousness and uneasiness." Hinata's breathing was becoming heavier as Neji's deep voice continued onward. "In other words, you know already... that you cannot change..." Hinata felt her heart drop as Neji's last words caused her very will to implode in upon itself, but before Neji could finish a certain high pitched voice cut through the air._

  


_"You can!" A certain blonde hair boy dressed in an orange jumpsuit shouted into the small arena. His eyes narrowed on Neji with ferocity as Hinata lifted her once downcast eyes to look up to the boy. "Don't label people like that, you idiot!" He screamed at the top of his longs in Neji's direction before looking over to Hinata. "Beat him up Hinata!" Hinata's tears dried as she looked to the boy in complete surprise at first, but her eyes began to lose the wideness that had been present as Neji demoralized her with his hurtful and degrading lecture prior to the encouraging words offered by the blonde haired boy._

Naruto-kun... _Hinata ran that name through her mind as her soft white eyes remained on the boy._

  


_"Hinata! Why don't you say something back? It's making the people watching get angry!"_

  


_Hinata's eyes looked back down to the floor, but her body relaxed, her dark black hair was blocking any view of her gentle visage. _Naruto-kun... _she thought to herself once more._

  


_Neji had also taken to looking in the direction of the blonde haired boy, Naruto, as he offered his words to Hinata and the insult towards him. Neji had disregarded it and simply thought of Naruto more of an idiot that previously, but once he turned around to face Hinata a hint of surprise could be seen upon his face._

  


Naruto-kun... thank you. _Hinata raised her head, her eyes now narrowed and shown with an intense determination, his words had roused her from the painful memories, of which Neji's words had brought back to her mind and cleared her of any negative thoughts. She believed in herself now, she could beat Neji... or so she believed. _

  
  


Even though Hinata had gone on to lose the battle with Neji, she put up a fight. After a short time in the hospital, Hinata returned to her way of life, but with one extra thing, some confidence. With this confidence she had trained until she could no longer move and now stood before Ino with the determination and skill she needed to win. There was no way she could lose a battle with Ino, not now, not ever. Naruto believed in her!

  
  


"Byakugan!" The veins around Hinata's eyes once again became very apparent, all her surroundings becoming visible to her two eyes staring directly at Ino. "I cannot lose, Ino-san. Please forgive me…" Her words were soft as she approached Ino carefully, her palms poised to strike.

  


Ino held her side tightly, just managing to gather her nerves as Hinata spoke. "Heh… don't be so sure of yourself." She winced slightly as her legs moved into her defensive stance. _This isn't the Hinata I remember from the academy or exams…_ she thought to herself. The only thing she could think of doing to possibly win the scuffle was to make Hinata's newly found will waver even the slightest bit and wear her down in the process. "If you want to win, come at me and we'll see how good you really are." Ino's hands tightened slightly, she could not take a direct hit like she almost had previously, but she could dodge the blows the battle was all, but over.

  


"A-as you wish Ino-san…" Hinata took in a deep breath to calm her panting and as soon as her breath has slowed, her palms cut through the air like arrows towards Ino. 

  


The two girls had found themselves in a precise dance where one misstep could lead to pain or even defeat, which neither of the two girls wished to claim. Ino took a step back and deflected the first blow towards her with her right forearm and simply shifted to the side to avoid the second. She followed nearly the same pattern for each renewed attack, her eyes watching every movement of Hinata's body as Ino was sure her opponent was doing as well. Ino's eye twitched for a moment after narrowly avoiding a strike to her head, the sound of the arm rushing past her ear replayed in an almost a continuous loop. _I can't keep this up…_ Ino's mind was racing, trying frantically to come up with a way to slow the onslaught of various combinations of palm strikes that continued with the same force and speed that they had began with despite the growing amount of sweat beading up upon Hinata's forehead. After Hinata's left palm passed by Ino's waist, Ino ducked down and twisted her leg around towards the back of Hinata's knees. With a soft grunt Hinata began to fall backwards towards the ground, but her hands quickly moved behind her falling form and pushed her back into the air allowing her complete a full back flip. Ino had not recovered from her kick as Hinata lunged forward.

  


"It's over Ino-san…" Just as Ino had turned to face Hinata, a palm had stopped right before slamming into Ino's nose. "I win." 

  


Ino sat on the ground, her eyes staring blankly at the palm before her face. How had Hinata reacted so fast? It was beyond her, but it was obvious that Hinata had been training a lot since their last encounter and had improved just as much. A soft sigh passed Ino's lips as a small smile managed to form.

  


"Yeah, yeah, you win." Ino shifted slightly and was about climb back to her feet when the palm that had once been before her eyes tilted to the side.

  


"Let me help you up Ino-san." Hinata had a smile upon her lips once more. The smile was somewhat different than those Ino had saw from time to time in the past, it was actually one that showed happiness over the shy and almost invisible one that was rarely even seen upon Hinata's pale features. 

  


"Thanks…" Ino took the offered hand and pulled herself to her feet with Hinata's aid. 

  


The forest had seemed silent during the spar, but now that neither of the girls' focus were only on one another, the ensemble of chirping birds and the many other sounds of various creatures about the trees and undergrowth filled their ears. Hinata continued to listen to the soft melody after releasing Ino's hand, but Ino went about brushing her skirt and legs free of particles of dir that had found their way onto her during the battle. The soft brushing did little to disturb Hinata who had seemed to drift off into thought. Ino's eyes lifted themselves from her skirt.

  


"Hinata?" Ino said softly, tilting her head to the side slightly. 

  


"Oh! Sorry Ino-san…" Ino's cheeks brightened with their common red hue. "I…I was just thinking." She tried to smile some, but it was rather apparent even to Ino that Hinata seemed slightly troubled about something, but she did not bother questioning her about it. 

  


"Well…" Ino brought a hand to the back of her own head, her fingers sliding through her tied back hair a bit. "I suppose I should let you go back to your training, I did lose after all." She offered a small smile before turning her back to Hinata. 

  


"W-wait, Ino-san…" Hinata extended her right arm slightly as her left hand tugged a bit at the collar of her coat. "I thought… we were going to lunch?" Ino raised an eyebrow. "You said you would take me… right?"

  


"Yeah, but that is why we fought…" Ino scratched the back of her head slowly, her eyes narrowing some as if trying to see what Hinata was thinking. "…I guess I could still take you though." Ino could not help but grin when she heard the soft grumbling of a stomach other than her own.

  


"T-thanks you, Ino-san" Hinata's cheeks continued to maintain their soft hint of red, her eyes looking back down to the ground. 

  


"It's not problem," Ino smiled, "I mean you did beat me pretty easy." 

  


"Oh, no Ino-san, y-you did very well." Hinata quickly replied with a shake of her head. 

  


Ino simply smiled and turned her back once more, motioning with her right hand for Hinata to follow before she took her first step back towards the village. Hinata jogged up to Ino's side as their trek began and then fell back into the same comfortable walking speed as Ino. The sound of the two girls exchanging words and falling into conversation reached out into the trees, but quickly faded and by the time the weak semblances of their voices had touched the wall surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha, they were indistinguishable from the other sounds echoing within the forest. 

  
  
  
  


End Notes: I still don't think it's the best, but at least I can stand it now. The next chapter is where the story is going to change a lot. I hope you guys don't mind too much.


	3. Chitchat

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the characters mentioned in this piece unless mentioned otherwise. The events of the actual story are mine however and I will not tolerate anyone stealing the plot and or original characters added to it without expressed permission.

  


Author Notes: Revised completely! Gah… this is sooo much work, but oh well. The Lee and Sakura stuff has been completely removed from the story for now and will probably be out of it for a little while until the whole Hinata-Ino thing is worked out. So basically expect some romance in the next couple chapters before any serious plot twists occur. Also, be aware that along with the slight romance that is sure to rear its head a good deal of sorrow and maybe even some (cover your eyes) slight angst. I'm not fond of angst… but what is going to happen to the girls and maybe the boys later on, would for sure drive them into depression for a little while. Since I don't want to bore you for much longer, here is Chapter 3: Chitchat.

  
  
  


A Criss-Cross Love Affair

Characters and Original Concept by: Masashi Kishimoto

Story Written by: Joseph Ross

  
  
  
  


Chapter 3: Chitchat

  
  


"So… Hinata, what is on your mind?" Ino asked.

  


The two girls had been walking along a small path heading back towards the main gate of Konoha Village for nearly ten minutes in almost absolute silence. From time to time Ino would glance over in Hinata's direction to notice that the white-eyed girl was simply staring forward in such a way that made her seem deep in thought. Ino had not wanted to disturb Hinata, but the silence was slowly driving her mad, words had to be exchanged.

  


"Oh…" Hinata shook her head and shyly glanced over to Ino with an embarrassed smile. "S-sorry… I'm just thinking a-about Sasuke-kun…" 

  


"Really?" Ino stopped in mid-step and turned her body to face Hinata, curiosity filling her eyes. "You never seemed to be someone to have a crush on him." 

  


"Oh! N-no it's not that… I'll leave him to you and Sakura-san." The shy girl managed a small giggle. "I was just wondering what will happen… will they send someone after him and if they do who will go?" Hinata stopped after noticing Ino pausing in her movement. 

  


"I'm sure Sasuke will come back on his own…I hope." Ino sighed softly. The reason why she had come out into the forest in the first place was becoming evident once more as the painful feelings began to emerge inside her once more. 

  


"I'm sorry if I'm making you sad Ino-san. Maybe we should change the topic?" Hinata's eyes shifted to the nearly completely blue sky. "N-nice weather we are having today isn't it?" The weather was indeed, very nice. Hinata had really just begun to notice how fantastic the warm sun felt against her face as its' bright rays cut through the leafs overhead and among other things there was a pleasurable breeze flowing from time to time causing Hinata's short black hair to ruffle slightly. 

  


"It is." Ino brought her hands up to her waist, her elbows point away from her body. "I guess we really shouldn't worry too much though. Sasuke is far from being stupid, he will come back one way or another."

  


The two girls simply stood where they were, looking to the sky. Each were tending to her own individual thoughts and feelings. Hinata was simply worrisome, unlike Ino who was not only worrying, but also emotionally hurt. Their thoughts were different, their worries founded on different events and experiences, but both of their hearts were in the same place. A light breeze had became more frequent as second after second ticked away, while they remained idle in the same place along the same path. The breeze was hardly noticed by either of the girls, but caused Ino to flinch slightly when the single strip of her bangs shifted enough to inhibit her right eye from viewing the sky.

  


"Maybe we should keep going?" Ino stated aloud as she allowed her arms to relax and fall back to her sides.

  


"Y-yes.." Hinata nodded after being roused from her thoughts yet again, but only after following a soft grumbling within her belly. 

  


Ino had nearly forgotten about lunch until she noticed Hinata rubbing her small stomach slightly with one of her hands. Ino was beginning to grow hungry now as well and once she started walking her paced showed it. Ino's thoughts began to stray off into the fantastic world of food. _Chicken, salad, bbq? Or maybe some ramen? _ Ino could not quite figure out what she wanted to eat, so her attention once again turned to Hinata, who now seemed more occupied with her grumbling stomach over the thoughts that had previously captivated her. 

  


"Is there anything in specific that you wanted to eat?" Ino finally asked after much thought. 

  


"…" Hinata looked to Ino and thought for a moment. "Anything is fine with me." She replied eventually. "You can decide, Ino-san. I trust your judgment… and y-you are the one taking me to lunch." 

  


"Alright…" Ino sighed.

  


"S-sorry, Ino-san…" Hinata's eyes had fallen back to the ground once again after noticing the disappointment in Ino's voice.

  


"Don't worry about it. I was just indecisive myself." Ino stretched her arms out in front of her, tightening her muscles a bit before letting the appendages fall back to her side. "Anyways, to take my mind off food…" A small grin began to play Ino's lips. "… and since no one I know has ever noticed or asked you before, who do you like Hinata-san?" 

  


Ino had expected Hinata to blush, but the girl turned redder than any human Ino had ever laid eyes on. Hinata's hands moved within inches of her upper chest, her index fingers extending and tapping against one another as they had previous to the scuffle between the two girls. The tapping was rather furious, the fingers tapping against one another very quickly and from what Ino could tell, they were only moving faster as each fraction of a second passed. 

  


"U-u-umm… I-I d-don't like anyone…" She had hardly stuttered it out by the time Ino began to speak once more. 

  


"Come on, Hinata-san! I know you have to like someone… ." Ino continued to grin mischievously. "There isn't a girl I have ever met that hasn't at least had a crush on one boy in their life." She slowly began to move a bit closer to Hinata's side as the two of them continued to walk.

  


"I…" Hinata sighed lightly and swallowed, her index fingers had stopped tapping, but only to be replaced by her left hand clutching at the collar of her coat. "I… like N-Naruto-kun." 

  


"Naruto?" Ino blinked. Someone _actually _liked Naruto? It was something new to her, but Ino was not about to make Hinata explain why or press her into anything else. Hinata might have exploded if Ino had persisted. "It's nice to know you have your eyes set on someone." Ino smiled and turned her gaze to the trees before the two girls that were beginning to become more sparse. 

  
  


"T-thank you, Ino-san." Hinata's words had faded into a complete whisper.

  


Ino and Hinata had broken out from the crowded trees of the forest out onto the large road leading into Konoha through the main gate. Hinata had not noticed until Ino nudged her slightly to have her stop walking forward, which would have brought the bashful girl straight into a tree. The two turned towards the open gates and headed into Konoha side by side. The town had become rather gloomy after the invasion by the Sand and Sound ninja. People did not fill the streets like usual, but instead remained in their homes afraid to venture into the outside world. Watches had been increased and the city wall repaired since the incident, but physical scars, along with the mental and emotional remained. 

  


"Hey, Hinata-san." Ino brought both of her hands to rest behind her head, her elbows pointed outwards as she continued along the barren street. An empty can happened to in Ino's path and as such was kicked away swiftly into a small alley when it had found itself near the blonde haired girl's sandal clad foot. The other girl's white eyes followed the can's flight into the alley as she replied.

  


"Yes?" 

  


"How about we go to that Ichiraku Ramen place that Naruto always eats at? I mean it can't be half bad if anyone eats there as much as he does."

  


"I… would love to." Hinata replied after a long pause.

  


Ino's eyes had turned to the small white pillar of smoke that stretched towards the heavens, it was what marked the ramen stand. Though she had never eaten there once her mind fell onto the subject of the Ichiraku Ramen place many memories flooded back to her senses. Even after the attack that had emotional damaged Konoha as a whole, the ramen stand remained open all day and all night, filling the air surrounding it with the thick aroma of freshly made noodles and finer spices and seasonings that transformed the scent, distinct to the ramen stand, into something that enticed the nose and tingled the taste buds. Ino remembered hearing about and seeing that most visitors to Konoha made sure that they tried the famous noodles that word had spread about the entirety of the Leaf Country as the best ramen in the entire world. Ino was a bit skeptical about the reputation, but it could not hurt to try, especially after revealing that her companion, Hinata, had a crush on Naruto, Ichiraku Ramen's best customer.

  


After trekking a good mile into the city, the rising pillar of smoke became far more apparent, yet something else distracted a certain set of blue eyes from the anticipation of a great meal. A pink haired shinobi of the Genin level (the same as Ino and Hinata) was just exiting a small grocery store with a bag in her arms. The girls light green eyes easily fell upon and recognized Ino and her companion. All three had attended the same class at the Ninja Academy. She managed a small smile and rose her voice to speak since her hands could not manage a wave while preoccupied with supporting the bottom of a paper bag.

  


"Hey, Ino-san!" The girl was happy to see a familiar face. Only an hour previous almost everyone she knew had left the village on a mission, one that touched very close to home with her. 

  


"Hello, Sakura-san." Ino replied.

  


"So where are you and Hinata heading?" Sakura, the pink haired girl, inquired as she adjusted the bag in her arms after walking a couple yards. 

  


"Over to Ichiraku Ramen." Ino had stopped walking as had Hinata at this point, both of the two girls' eyes were on Sakura. "You are more than welcome to come if you aren't busy." 

"Oh, I wish I could, but I volunteered to do a bit of house work to take my mind off Naruto and the others, I also told Lee that I would visit with him later on." A small frown crossed Sakura's lips

  


"D-did something happen to Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as a fearful gaze now honed on Sakura. Hinata was a person that worried and at that she was a person that worried even more when someone she knew was in danger or also worrying. She could not keep her feelings on the inside.

  


"Didn't you hear? Shikamaru is leading a team to bring Sasuke back to the village, Naruto and some others were taken along. I sure hope they all come back alright…" The words faded off as the soft green eyes hidden behind Sakura's brown paper bag looked towards the ground.

  


"Oh…" Ino turned away from the obviously saddened Sakura only to notice Hinata in a similar state. She could understand how each of them felt as she also had the same heart tugging feelings once again rising to the surface. Her lips formed a small frown, but only for a moment before it tightened up, her eyes gaining a certain seriousness to them. "They will be fine." Ino crossed her arms across her chest. "Shikamaru has a good head on his shoulders and Naruto is strong enough to pull them through if anything goes wrong. Of all people you should know that, Sakura-san."

  


Sakura sighed lightly and raised her head. The pink haired girl's lips failed to move as she adjusted the bag in her arms once more, turning slowly in the direction opposite of Ino she started off towards her home, but not before replying once more. "You're right, but still, I can't help but think about them and what could happen… they are the best friends I have." With those words Sakura hastened her steps away from the other two girls with the world blurring as a single warm stream formed upon her cheeks. '_Why did this have to happen?' _was the only thought that was held within Sakura's mind. Things were definitely not the same since the invasion and the three girls on the street that afternoon were testaments to that very idea among the multitudes of various things that seemed to drag the mood ever deeper into the pits of despair. 

  


"Hey, Hinata-san…" Ino rested a hand on the other girl's shoulder, "…let's get something to eat." The words of comfort Ino wanted to offer evaded her every attempt to grasp them, so a simple yet disturbing silence fell upon the empty air. Ino's fingers tightened ever so slightly with the passage of time and the continued silence. The situation and environment was ideal for incubating the suppressed emotions within Ino's heart. Soft words touched Ino's ears.

  


"Y-you're right Ino-san…" Hinata muttered out after a soft whimper, her cheek reddening from tears slightly building up in her eyes. "I'm sure Naruto wouldn't be crying like this…"

  


"…" Ino closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Hinata in a warm hug. It was all she could do for as she watched the other girl beginning to break down from the recent happenings, she could feel her own fortitude began to buckle.

  
  
  
  


End Notes: Wow… I'm worn OUT. This chapter took a lot out of me for some reason, but at least it's done now. Hopefully chapter 4 comes out a bit easier than this one , not to mention all the chapters following. Things are definitely moving quite a bit different than I had originally planned, but it should go far better because of it or so I hope. Maybe sometime I will have to post the many sessions that have inspired this fan fic and possibly even any sequels or run offs. Don't forget to review the story and leave HELPFUL suggestions 


End file.
